Box



April 14, 1942. a F, FQRD HAL 7 2,279,670

' BOX Filed April 7, 1939 I INVEN7'0E5 62'0262" 'FI FOED 50m 12. LEW/.5

THE/E ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 14, 1 942 7 UNITED. STATES.

PATENT OFFlCE Park, Calm, assignors to Fibreboard Products. Inc.I San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application April 1, 1939, sem No. 266,560

2 Claims.

Our invention relates to' boxes or baskets folded from flexible sheet material, such as flbreboard.

It is among the oblects of our invention to provide a box having a bead along the to reinforce the walls.

A further object is to provide a bead of the character described, having a substantially flat top flange to provide a rest for upper boxes in a stack and to enhance the reinforcement prop- 10' erties of the bead.

Another object is to provide a box having ribs or legs integrally formed along the base of the walls to reinforce the latter and to elevate the bottom. 18

Still another object is to provideimprovements' in the blank from which the box is folded.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, willbe set forth in the following descrip- 2 tion of our invention. It is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to this disclosure of species of our invention, as we may adopt variant embodiments thereof within the scope ofthe claims. 25

Referring to the drawing: Figure 1 is a plain view of the blank from which our box is folded; and

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the box with V (01.229-32) V v c it from the surface upon which the'box rests ,to

give further protection to the contents. 7,

In terms of broad inclusion, the box of; our invention comprises a wall, havinga flap folded down from, the upper edge to provide a bead along therim of the box. The flap is preferably folded with a 'substantially horizontal flange portion projecting laterally from the edge of the wallto form a bead having a flat top of material width, thus giving strength against transverse bending and also providing a shelflike "resting surface. The rim flap also prefer.- ably has a portion folded backat an angletoward the wall to'provide a brace with a skirt portion extending downwardly for fastening the brace to the wall. The flap may be folded either inwardly or outwardly. A leg is also preferably formed along the base'of a wall to elevate the bottom and tofurther reinforce the box.

In greater detail, and referring to Figures- 1 to 4 of the drawing. the preferred box or basket embodyingour invention is folded from a blank suitably cut and creased from a flexible sheet material such as fibreboard. As shown in Figure 1, the blank comprises a bottom portion Ihaving side and end walls 3 and 4 foldably connected thereto along lines 6. Walls 3 and I are preferably wider at the top and are provided with sloping sideedges so that the walls flare out portions broken away to show the construction 80' when the box is set up. End flaps l are also more clearly.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the box taken in a plane indicated by line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the blank taken in a plane .indicated by line 4-4 of Figure-1.

In flbrjeboard boxes, such as berry baskets, it is important to provide reinforcement about the rim to give strength to the walls and to provide a rest for upper boxes in a stack. Berry boxes are usually packed in tiers, three deep, inla crate, with cross pieces resting on the rims of the boxes between the layers to support those above. with ordinary paper or flbreboard 45 berry boxes it is not uncommon for the thin edges and sides of the boxes to cave in under the load of upper boxes, thus causing damage to thefruit. In our improved structure the rims foldably connected to side walls 3 along score lines 8. 2 v

The blank also includes rim flaps foldably connected to the outer edges of the walls along 26 score lines 9; each rim flap being dividedlongitudinally by a pair of parallel score lines H and I2. These latter score lines are spaced to divide each flap into a relatively narrow inner flange portion If, a central brace forming portion 14 40 and an outer skirt portion l6. Tabs II are also provided at the ends of the flaps on the side walls, and are connected to the edges of flap portions l4 and I6 along score lines ,ld. Circu-. lar apertures l9 are shown at the corners of bottom wall I for ventilation, and a drain and vent hole 2| is shown'at the center, but these apertures may be arranged differently or omitted entirely.

of the boxes are reinforced to strengthen the An important feature of the blank as best edges. and sides, and the reinforcing means is designed to provide a flat rest for upper boxes in a stack. Our improved box is also provided with reinforcement about the base of the walls, and

shown in Figure 3, is the elevation of bottom wall 2 above the plane of walls 2 and 4. The boundary lines are deformed to provide offsets 22 for elevating bottom portion 2 above the plane of I the bottom wall is preferably elevated to spa the blank. and s y be omplishedin any suitable manner, as by pressing out the bottom with a die when the blank is formed.

when the box is set up, walls 3 and 4 are folded up from the bottom wall as shown in Figure 2.

This up-turning of the walls creates V-shaped folds at the base, due to the offset portions 22, and the latter extend downwardly fromthe bottom wall to form legs. These legs serve to elevate the bottom above the surface upon which the box rests, thereby giving added protection to the contents. The reverse fold at the offsets forms sturdy legs of double thickness, and these legs also function as reinforcing ribs at the base of the walls to strengthen the box. It is to be notedthat the legs or ribs are formed by the simple act of folding up walls 3 and 4 at the time the box is set up; this advantage being gained because of the offsets made when the blank is formed. 7

After the side and end walls are turned up the flaps 1 are folded to overlie end walls 4 and are adhesively united to the walls by suitable glue 2! applied to the blank. The rim flaps are then foldedoutwardly and are adhesively united to the walls and end flaps by glue 24 previouslyv applied to the blank. The rim flaps on the side walls are turned down first so that end tabs I'I maybe folded in over the end walls before the flaps of the end walls are folded down.

5 Inner portions 13 of the rim flaps are preferably folded out to'substantially horizontal posi-. tions to form flanges projecting laterally from the walls. Central portions l4 of theflaps are then folded downwardly and inwardly toward the walls to form angular braces; and the outer act as beams, and as such resist bending. Horizontal flanges ll give the beams strength against transverse bending stresses, and braces l4 not only support the flanges but also function to resist downward bending. The boxes of our invention may therefore be stacked without danger of the walls caving in. y

Another decided advantage of rim heads is that they provide a flat rest for boards or racks that are interposed between the stacked boxes. The width of the bead may be varied within wide limits;from a narrow width formed by folding the rim flap directly down from the edge of the wall, to a wide surface formed by providing a flange portion I: of material width, If the rim flap is turned directly down from the edge of thewall, the horizontal flange portion II is eliminated and the flat resting and reinforcing properties of the head are not fully achieved.

We claim:

1. A box comprising a bottom, side and end. walls folded upwardly from the bottom, a rim.

flap folded along an upper edge of eachof said walls to provide triangularly shaped beads proof the side walls and secured thereto, said end wall beads having depending skirt portions overlapping the outer surfaces of the end flaps and secured thereto, and end tabs foldably connected to the side wall beads and interposed between the end wall beads and said end flaps.

GEORGE F. FORD. BOYD R.'LEWIS. WALTER F. PITTMAN. 

